Goodbye Sweet, Sweet Olive

We are so thankful that we were able to be here for Olive's funeral and burial and for this next week to be with family. Lynette posted the video she made of Olive's life and the letter she wrote for Olive on her blog.

Mom posted the words to the song He Knows My Name that they sang to her every day too.

Olive went home to be with Jesus today

Olive, our little fighter, has gone home to be with Jesus, where there is no more pain for her little body. Our hearts are breaking. Please hold up Lynette and Rusty in your thoughts and prayers. I can't begin to imagine the depth of sorrow they must feel.

This evening, we found Tyler crying alone a few times. He played a "sad" song for Olive on the piano, pausing to wipe his tears and bury his face. Here, in Wichita, lots of tears are being shed for Olive, and her Mommy and Daddy.

Perhaps strangely, after all that Olive has gone through, I didn't realize she could be taken so quickly. They learned there was an infection this morning, and by this evening she was gone.

What a difference you have made in this world, Little One.

Tuesday

Mom's time with us went very quickly. We put her on a plane back home today. It was great to have her help, especially in these first days. We had some difficulty with nursing at the beginning and it was nice to have Mom help take shifts with comforting and holding. And, of course, she helped in lots of other ways too. I will miss breakfast in bed. :)

Yesterday, we had a doctor's appointment for Aubrey. She was down to 6 pounds 9 ounces so we were happy that she was up to 6 pounds 12 ounces today. She is such a tiny little thing. As nursing has gone much better yesterday and today, she has lost interest in that pacifier. We'll keep trying it out, though. I always thought it would be great to have a child who can be comforted with a pacifier and not just Mommy.

She was bright eyed for quite awhile this morning.

Swimming in her 0-3 month clothes. :)

Tyler mostly likes to watch Aubrey and comment on how "cute" she is and help "remind" her not to scratch her face. He's also been a great helper. So far, I think he's pretty happy with her.

Wagler Nose

One year at a Wagler family reunion I was told that I had the "Wagler nose." It was described as the nose you can see right up inside. So, now you all know that's what I think Aubrey's nose looks like. :)

Some pictures from today

Showing off her big scratch.

Checking out Grandma Carol

The much loved pacifier


Tyler holding her for the first time.

Welcome to the world, Aubrey Kathryn

Well, despite my apprehension about being induced, and wondering several times on Thursday whether I should postpone the induction...Friday arrived and we headed to the hospital.

One last picture of being pregnant with Miss Aubrey - at 9 days overdue.

The morning was uneventful. I would venture to say it was boring. They started pitocin at 10:10 am and by 2:30 pm I had progressed from 3 cm (what I was at 3 days before) to 4 cm. After over 4 hours, I had progressed a whole centimeter. Pathetic! I was still pretty comfortable and was not too impressed with how slowly things were moving. I started to worry that this wasn't going to work.

However, things quickly changed. At 2:30, after some difficulty getting it done, the resident broke my water. And, I would say that for the next hour, it was not a pretty site. I was a sweaty, moaning mess. Wayne's hand worked wonders as a squeezing, pressure relieving device.

After my water broke, the contractions were...well, you know, horrible. So, I had asked for an epidural. It took awhile to be put in and by 3:15, when I wasn't supposed to feel pain anymore, I was hollering that it was still REALLY hurting and WHERE IS MY MEDICINE!?! The next 15 minutes, especially, are a blur. Before we knew it, I was pushing and at 3:33 pm, she was born. Another anesthesiologist who had arrived to try to help me out by upping my medicine at the end, succeeding in making me numb...for the post-delivery fun. (Oh, my doctor made it after she was born too. She just came so quickly).

But, what really matters is that Aubrey Kathryn Stuckey arrived safe and sound.

Weighing in at 7 pounds, 8.5 ounces and 19 inches long. She seems so tiny compared to Tyler's 9 pounds 5 ounces. She has a head of dark hair and the Wagler nose.

She has a healthy set of lungs and already loves her pacifier. The nurses have cautioned me against giving it to her until she gets nursing down. But really, that's hard. She really loves it.

Here are a few pictures soon after she was born.

My mom flew in last night and will stay until Tuesday. I am happy to see her, and happy for the help.

We'll try to get some better shots of Aubrey. I know it doesn't make much sense, but she doesn't look like herself in these pictures. I'll post more soon.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and well wishes. We are so thankful, and happy to be home.

Mustache

weight

And, I forgot to add, that the doctor thinks she will be smaller than Tyler's 9 lb 5 ozs. He is guessing she'll weigh around 7 pounds. We will soon find out.

pregnancy update

I had my last prenatal appointment today. That seems kind of strange after months of scheduling appointments. We had another sonogram, and she still looks comfortable and there are no signs of stress. For those gentlemen who may read this, I will spare you the gory details, but there are signs that things are finally starting to move in the right direction. As "insurance," if I haven't had her by Friday, I am scheduled to be induced. It feels strange to have a deadline for her arrival, but kind of exciting at the same time. I'll post as soon as I can about when our little one arrives. :)

Also, I was happy to hear that little Olive's shunt repair surgery went well today.

Olive's broken shunt

Olive's shunt has broken and she will undergo yet another surgery tomorrow to try to fix it. Lynette posted an update on her blog. Please continue to hold them up in your thoughts and prayers.

Miss Olive

Little Miss Olive and her parents are on my heart and mind. Olive had been having a lot of apnea yesterday, and needing to be resuscitated. Scary stuff. Sounds like today was a better day, as they have made some adjustments to her care.

While there is hope and there have been a lot of positives along this road, I think there is a heaviness about what has happened, is happening and what is to come. Please continue to pray.

Lynette and Mom have both written updates recently.

Due date

Well, today was my long awaited due date. I enjoyed my doctor's appointment this morning. He did a sonogram, and I got to see how she is positioned, and lots of body parts, including her profile. She had her hands up by her face, and her face looked kind of chubby...as much as I could tell from the lovely view of a sonogram. She looks pretty comfortable in there - and though he offered to induce if I should choose, there were no signs of stress or reasons to induce, so for now we will wait.

In the meantime, I took a few pictures of the waiting nursery. There is very little on the walls, but, anyway, this is what it looks like now...

The dresser that was my Dad and Uncles' when they were growing up will be her changing table. I picked up some retro flannel with owls on it that Grandma Sue sewed into a changing pad cover. Aunt Lynette sent a Hooter Hider that hangs from the dresser.

So, nothing fancy. But, I think we have what we need...and if we don't, we'll figure that out soon enough, I suppose. :)